City of Sorrows
by TwistedSaffron
Summary: Albert has always been surrounded with death since he was born. Will being in Mayfil, city of death, make or break this legendary king? (Rated PG-13 just to be safe.)
1. Spirits of Mayfil

Hi people. This is my first ever fanfiction and hopefully not my last. Please only friendly reviews and constructive criticism.  
  
Albert examined his surroundings as he stepped onward. The floors beneath him felt thousands of years old and the air he was breathing was filled with the rotting stench of death itself. Dart stepped beside him, sword drawn in case of emergency.  
"How are you handling this place?"  
Albert pondered the question. "It's driving me mad. I'd do anything to get out of here if there weren't more pressing matters."  
"Same," Dart groaned as he swiped the sweat off his forehead. "The spirits are so much in pain. I can feel it here more then ever. And the ones that decide to attack us never truly die, they just go back to regain their energy," He sighed. "They can't die twice..."  
Albert nodded, knowing the struggle all too well. "I feel horrible having to disturb the already disturbed but...we must." Their conversation was cut short by Meru's shrill voice.  
"You guys, they're back!" She screamed, positioning her hammer offensively as she aimed at a larger, grotesque looking spirit. She brought the weapon down, going through the target completely. The spirit moaned words in languages that have been lost in the sands of time before disappearing and going off to replenish it's lost energy. Meru slumped down in a huff. "Why can't we just beat them like the rest of those monsters?" She wined the exact thought that was running through out the oddly chosen party of adventurers.  
"Because they're already dead," Rose responded, the mellow calmness of her voice resonated through the musty, death filled air. "It's like Dart said, you can't kill something twice."  
Miranda dropped to one knee. Lack of energy seemed to also be coming back to haunt her. "We can't keep going like this, it's too much," She panted in place before continuing. "This is ridiculous. We can't keep killing the already dead!"  
"Kongol agree," The giganto stated plainly. "We need rest."  
Dart looked around at his exhausted party of friends and mismatched adventurers and slowly nodded. "We do need to rest and regain our energy." He motioned to the stone path that they were on already. "We'll stay here for as long as we need, but no longer. We don't want Zeig to get there before us."  
Rose nodded. "The spirits still need to regain their power before attacking again so I think we can rest for now." She sat down, peering into the gloomy depths of the surrounding atmosphere.  
Albert set down his heavy iron javelin before seating himself on the dingy, aged stone floor. He sighed as he wiped the sweat from the back of his neck and looked around at his comrades. They had already situated themselves on the magic created path, all sharing the same uneasy look that hid their terror of the place that the currently resided in. Albert himself had been very reluctant to journey here. He had been curious about the last two magical cities, but this one seemed flat out vicious and haunting. What could one expect from a city named 'The Death City, Mayfil'. Nothing but sorrow and the bringing up of painful memories, Albert remembered Rose warning before entering the city, but the king had yet to see so far the bringing up of painful memories on his part.  
The young king's eyelids grew heavy as he pondered farther the meaning of this 'Death City'. Did she mean sorrow of seeing the dead you once knew as alive? Or did she mean something completely different all together? Was this subject even worth his time and energy?  
Albert slumped over, asleep amidst his own thoughts.  
"Should we wake him?" Dart said in a hushed voice.  
"No, let him sleep. It's a way of regaining energy." Rose responded as she kept her sharp eyes on her surroundings. "Besides, he'll be awake in no time at all. No one can sleep comfortably at Mayfil." 


	2. Nightmares and Memories

I looked back on my story and I said to myself, something's missing...and I realized it was that stupid annoying disclaimer, so here I go! (This counts for the first chapter too, since I forgot it then. XD)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own dragoon...I don't think I ever will...sob  
  
Thank you Sors, Alexandra Lily Riddle and Torii for the reviews!  
  
Chapter 2: Nightmares and Memories  
  
Applause...why was there applause?

Albert sat on his throne and looked around at his royal court. The walls were drenched in blood, flowing freely from his ecstatic subjects. The floor was no different, he observed, as he peered deeply into the faces of his people.  
They had all died.  
They were dead and they were cheering for their king. Albert staggered backwards as the crowd hooted and hollered. Some lacked limbs and bled continuously onto the marble of his court floor. Some had lost chunks of their body and were leaning to keep their selves standing straight for their king. Albert almost doubled over in nausea as he realized that some even had lost their heads.  
Memories flew back to Albert as he sped for the stairs out of the throne room. The lost knights continued their joyous celebration as he exited. Albert felt sick, very sick. Sick beyond what he ever imagined. He clearly remembered what the knights looked like in their prime, but he had never bothered to think what might happen to them after their death.  
The young king had lost track of where he was running or how many lost serdian souls had tried to come in contact with him now.  
"No! Please!" He screamed as a few knights waved vainly and tried to call after him. One of the knights was missing his hands. The other had discolored skin that looked as if he had been poisoned...badly.  
Albert had finally made his way to the last flight of stairs, the stairs to the training area. It sounded almost desolate but the silence was interrupted by the sound of a heavy, iron javelin hitting one of the many wooden dummies. Why would anyone be training now? The war was over, the King thought vainly. Albert was in a cold sweat as he neared the training area through the hallway, now littered with blood and lost limbs. Albert's tension was growing as he stepped towards the corner. It's all in your head, his mind cried in reason. There's no way he could still be...

The lost knight brought his javelin down on the dummy's shoulder as Albert turned the corner. Albert staggered back in horror.  
"Hey Al!" The knight welcomed. His piercing green eyes stabbed into the king.  
It's not possible!  
"What's wrong?" He swiped back his golden hair and sighed. "You didn't run away from you daily affairs just to train, did you? Noish'll have my ass for this. I always get blamed for your training!" He laughed whole- heartedly. Albert failed to notice the friendliness of this lost soul. He also failed to notice the tears that were streaming down his face. All Albert could see is his wound, a ring of torn flesh around the kind knight's heart. He couldn't help but be taken back to that fateful day when a look of sadistic glee spread across Lloyd's insane face as he ripped his mighty sword away from his best friend's dying body.  
Lavitz stood before Albert. His blood slowly drained on to the floor and he continued speaking as if nothing had happened. As if these were normal circumstances. As if he had never...died.  
"What's wrong, Al? You look like you've seen a ghost."  
  
Albert suddenly awoke, startled and sweating profusely. Dart had been shaking him awake and looked relieved to see he was finally up. "The angry spirits are coming back and we need to start moving again." He rushed through, warning the king quickly. "You kept tossing and turning in your sleep, but you can tell us about that later." Albert grabbed his javelin and jumped to his feet, ready to help get to the destination but he couldn't help feeling a sickening sense of foreboding.  
He fought his way through the torrent of angry souls and spirits before coming to a halt before a doorway. "I can sense the evil in there," Rose said as she finished off the shrieking soul of a woman. "Something doesn't seem quite right." "I can feel it too." Dart answered. "But we need to continue." Albert could hear the fear in his voice as he stepped near the doorway. The young king's mind was distracted. He couldn't help but think of that disturbing dream...no, not a dream, a nightmare. Dart led the uncanny party into darkness of the room before them.  
"There's nothing here," Miranda groaned as she examined the stone walls and floor. "Right, Dart?" She had turned herself to face the leader, but found him speechless, his eyes fixated on the wall before him...no, not the wall, a pale figure sitting and leaning against the wall. Albert's eyes were slowly drawn to the figure as well.  
"Albert...could it be him?" Dart was lacking the proper words for the proper moment, but still got the point across perfectly.  
"Dart...I think it is..." Albert had almost stuttered. Albert had never stuttered in his life.  
"But...but..."  
"This is the Mayfil, Dart. Anything can happen." Albert slowly neared the figure. "Lavitz...?"  
The former knight took his time in getting up from the cold stone floor. He looked around, dazed and confused, wondering who had bothered to call to him. The room seemed to wait in bated breath as he chose his response. "Albert? Dart?" Lavitz pronounced slowly. A welcoming smile slowly crept on to the knight's face. "It's so nice to see you all again...but there are so many new people here."  
"Man from Hoax." Kongol said simply, as if identifying figure with memory.  
"Whoareyou?" Meru asked in a speedy voice to match her personality. Miranda quickly shoved her way past Meru.  
"Don't even think of attacking anyone or I'll snap your neck in half." She retorted at the figure.  
"Don't worry Miranda. He's an old friend." Dart grinned at the adopted princess and then turned his attention back to the former knight, his expression slowly fading into a concerned frown. "How did you get here?"  
Lavitz didn't have a chance to answer before he froze in spot, staring blankly at the unruly group. His expression turned into a pain filled one in mere seconds. Albert stepped back in horror.  
"Lavitz, what's wrong?" He asked, panicked and shaken.  
"Leave...Leave here," The knight groaned, "...before..."  
"You're not making any sense!" Miranda yelled before drawing her bow, just in case.  
"LEAVE NOW!" Lavitz screamed in response before staggering back through the wall.


End file.
